While I thought he was charming, I thought he lacked substance; most viewers apparently thought he exuded leadership.

Campbell made his maiden speech to the lobby group's recent annual dinner, appearing a little dour and uncertain as he gave the vote of thanks, but friends say this should not be read as a lack of substance.

And the last two presidential elections, the reason why we lost, was a lack of substance.

Origin

This word was first used to refer to the essential nature of something. It comes from Old French, from Latin substantia ‘being, essence’, from the verb substare ‘stand firm’. The word was used to refer to a ‘solid thing’ from the late 16th century.